DRONESCAPE: Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, Los Angeles...

Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, built in 1876. This structure is one of the oldest and last remaining buildings from the early; mostly forgotten period of Los Angeles history. Etched at the central face of the Cathedral reads, "D.O.M" or Latin for "Deo Optimo Maximo" (To God, most good, most great). Under Roman Pantheon polytheistic rule, the term was used to refer to Jupiter. When Rome transitioned to monotheism (under the rule of Christianity), DOM was used to reference the Christian God. As Latin remained the scholarly language of the West after the Roman Empire fell and thus the phrase remains on Renaissance-era churches; to this day. Saint Vibiana was a third century virgin martyr, whose remains were rediscovered in 1853; within ancient catacombs near Appian Way, Italy. Inscribed on a marble tablet over her tomb reads, "To the soul of the innocent & pure Vibiana" with a wreath above. In early Christianity, a wreath was symbol of martyrdom. The people of Los Angeles and conservationists alike fought a lengthy legal battle against the archdiocese who attempted to illegally demolish the cathedral after damage done by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. A compromise was reached when the City of Los Angeles agreed to swap land with the archdiocese for a larger amount of land-grab beside the 101 freeway. Thus, on the new land, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was constructed as the new mother church cathedral parish for the archdiocese. What once was able to house 10% of the population of the once small town of Los Angeles in the 1870's; now a former cathedral, was renamed "Vibiana" in 2009 and redeveloped into an event space.